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Tiberian Flora and Fauna
Owing to its warm climate and large bodies of water, Tiber has an extremely diverse selection of plant and animal life. This is especially true in Tiber’s uninhabited jungles, which cover a substantial portion of the planet. While Tiber’s biologists have worked extensively to catalog all of the life on the planet, it is estimated that only perhaps 20% of all Tiber’s unique species have been encountered and identified. This is largely due to the sheer number of species present on Tiber, but is compounded by the density of the planet’s jungles and the large area which they cover. Whether by accident or purposefully, several species that are quite common on Tiber were brought to the Jewel over the past thousand years. Terrestrial Plokooki’s Five-legged jungle deer with valuable metal antlers. Draculotti Small vampiric creatures with stretched-skin wings known for their dropping and swooping attacks from the jungle canopy. Their bites are venomous and incapacitate their prey. Although not lethal to Humans, the bites can cause short-term paralysis and numbness to the affected areas. Draculotti, also known as Drop-Devils, are nocturnal creatures with large eyes, coarse fur, and scaly-hydrophobic skin. Bu'vollo A marsupial-like creature known for its graceful tentacle-swinging through the canopy. Tiberian Jungle Cat Hybrids of many Old Terran cats of the genera Leopardus, Prionailurus, and Felis, and indigenous Tiberian Pouncers (a now extinct species of predatory aliens) Sky Creatures Sky Whales Large lighter than air mammals who coast along the humid jet-streams. Every nine years a migration of the whales passes over the city of Venona. Watching reams of whales drift above is a wondrous sight and brings visitors from across the sector. The sentience of the whales is often debated and their social cache with House Eridanus and Tiber, in general, have made them a protected species. Sky Dolphins Tiberian sky dolphins, also known as Dolfinni, are the distantly related cousins of the more well-known sky whales. Biologically and physiologically they are highly comparable, though the sky dolphins are far smaller, lighter, and sleeker than the majestic behemoths of the sky. Two main species exist. Lesser Sky Dolphins, Dolfinni minor, are playful and can be domesticated. Greater Sky Dolphins, Dolfinni major, are aggressive loners who stalk the skies over the jungles. Sevetiy Birb A large (often described as ‘big ass’) parrot with wingspans that can be over 2.5m wide. Ptolemy’s Parrots These small birds roost in on the sides of skyscrapers. Their flamboyant colors and raucous mating calls are an unavoidable part of urban life for Tiberians. Iron Condor Flying creatures with amorphous, almost gelatin-like, grey wings. In the air, they seem quite graceful drifting about but are as dense as iron when they land. Marine Vortex squid These three-meter long squid are multicolored and can camouflage themselves in a myriad of environments. Although they are slow in the water, they can telepathically stun lesser creatures in both in defense and on the attack. Giant squid The deep purple seas (See The Empress’ Tears) hide a monstrous cephalopod that many believe to be a myth. Sightings report a creature the size of a grav-car with large tentacles that ensnare fish and small fishing boats, dragging them beneath the algae into the dark waters. Genetically altered squid Small squid raised for mass consumption. They are a pale-orange color and grow to adulthood in a matter of weeks. These squids are a staple food for many coastal cities, with large portions of Tiber’s seas cordoned off for squid farms. The Barbone Fish Kinda like a barracuda and tuna combined, massive frills. Often fished for sport and trophy hunting, the Barbone is a missile-shaped oceanic fish with massive sail-like frills and razor-sharp barbs covering most of its body. Any Eridanii Tax Day Feast is not complete without a Barbone for the main course. Gognoi Crabs With four claws and ten meaty legs, Gognoi Crabs evolved to endure. Blue-green shells help them blend in with the copper-rich sands of Tiberian beaches allowing them to bury themselves and snap out at prey that pass by. Riverine Native Fishes and fish-like creatures When the first Eridanii landed on Tiber they were amazed at the plentiful life. When they saw the creatures swimming in the river the likened them to the Fish of Terra. The Tiberian fish listed below hold some likenesses in morphology and/or behavior to their Terran counterparts but are genetically alien to them. Dividend Fish A bottom feeder, the dividend fish is surprisingly picky about its food. Selecting only the choicest plants and algae to reap the most energy efficient meals. Choosiness allows for great dividends increasing the size and fertility of the fish. A strict prohibition exists on forcing sub-par food on the DF and killing any fish under 1m long unless they are over 33 years old. Marketer Farm raised and rather bland, marketers are found in all serf rations. Blue-chipper A reliable fish to stock any pond, river, or stream blue-chippers are able to thrive in every biome on Tiber and are a stable source of decent fare for freemen. Gold-Tooth Gar Lined with rows of metallic teeth the Gold-Tooth Gar’s mouth is an efficient tool to collect food. Gilded Snappers Gilded Sappers are vicious little creatures use their sharp beak-like mouths to ward off predators. Despite feeding on primary vegetation, snappers have been known to bite off fingers of those who invade their riverine pastures. Venistrian Eel A slimy creature whose oozes were used as mortar for the first cities of Tiber. They are the primary ingredient, alongside vanassi flour, of Venistrian Pies. Lake Ostia Blackfish These fish have a robust dark flesh that makes great curries. The Blackfish themselves have no natural predators in the high lake Ostia and grow to considerable sizes in the deep cool waters. Lacertiller Scaled amphibious quadrupeds that resemble armoured otters. They are omnivores that are hardy enough to survive anywhere on Tiber including urban rivers. Ranging in a wild range of colors, a proposed blue, gold and white Lacertiller is prophesied to live deep in the jungle. Equitynes Also known as Tiberian Horses, are squat and unassuming quadrupeds that reach their long necks and heads deep under the water feed on algae other plant-life in a river bed. Insects Luminous Nepidae Nepidae are insect-like creatures that eats leaf litter and can grow up to 8cm long. They have evolved a natural bioluminescence running the length of their body to attract mates. This strip of yellow-orange light contains a bitter compound making them undesirable to predators. During its life, it mates multiple times and after mating it grows an additional segment at the rear of its body. Upon death, each of the rear segments separates and grows into a full Nepidae Countessa’s Caterpillar and Countwing A gold-colored caterpillar the length of a finger that metamorphs into a delicate blue and black butterfly. Countfly A small bloodsucking fly that is the bane of everything. They are notorious for spreading disease and general annoyance from itchy bites. Often they are given the colorful name of “cuntfly” by locals. Wage-Ender Both a camouflaging and venomous creature, Wage Enders often resembles grass or reeds. They are most common in cane farms and agricultural areas. The venom quickly attacks the respiratory system and the victim is asphyxiated unable to scream for help. Flora The bulk of Eridanii settlements on Tiber are confined to the edges of land masses, where they are closest to water. Inland are massive and largely impassible jungles, which are a tangle of smaller trees and vine-like plants. These jungles occasionally give way to taller trees whose massive canopies block some of the light from the forest floor, creating passable areas in which larger animal species may flourish. Much of the work of Tiber biologists has focussed on these passable forests due to the relative ease of exploring them as opposed to the denser jungles. Flowering plant species are abundant in the forests, while vines and closed-shrubs dominate the jungles. Tiber has an unusually high number of carnivorous plants, which scientists suspect evolved in response to the abundance of insect life on the planet. Alverovera A flowering tropical succulent found on both planets of the Alvero system. A viscous gel extracted from its thorny blue-green leaves is often applied directly to the skin to help the people of Aomori and Tiber to cool down in the warm climates. The sweet and fragrant periwinkle flowers make for an equally cooling and refreshing tea. It is not uncommon for laborers to have a potted Alverovera in their window sill to help beat the heat after a long day's work under the baking Alvero star. ''Coffea tiberis Tiber is the perfect place to grow coffee beans. Some, in fact, would say that it is where the caffeine-rich beans originated. Growing and harvesting processes of ''Coffea tiberis is a closely guarded trade secret between the A.C.R.E. and House Eridanus. This restriction, and the fact of the precise climate of Tiber, means that any illegal export of coffee seeds and saplings from the planet results in decreased yields and inferior cups. Debtor's Orchid Dark red, almost black, flowers used to tell debtors to pay up. Discount Trap A carnivorous plant smells like hell to attack insects. Dirigible Plums Orange fruits that are buoyant in the air when ripe. It is important that they are collected before they fully ripen or they will float away. The Empress’ Tears Teardrop-shaped and amethyst-colored algae that have stained Tiber’s oceans and seas a light purple color. Frusselle Sugary fruits with a mild flavor and used heavily in the distilling industry. Giant Darkwood Tall jungle trees used heavily in the pulping and paper industry. Pessarosa A firm, red-colored fruit with a thick rind. Quite acidic and rich. Plode Encrusted in a hard pink spiked shell is a soft sweet flavorful purple flesh. When not handled carefully, the soft insides can rapidly expand, forcing the shell to rip apart and fly away. If purposely done, this process can make decorating a dessert a quick and stylish affair. Once exposed to normal climate conditions, the purple interior turns blue. Some enterprising arms dealers have cultivated weaponized plodes that function as biological versions of grenades, landmines, and other ordinance. Taxfruit A pale yellow-green spherical citrus fruit with inky black flesh. It is almost impossible to eat without it looking like a pen has burst onto one’s shirt. Vanissi Grass Low lying areas, especially in floodplains, are home to amber colored grasses. Cultivated for their carbohydrate-rich seeds, vanissi is a near-ubiquitous grain in Tiberian cuisine. It grows similarly to rice but is better adapted to the hot muggy climate. It has more calories per kilo than rice as well as being packed with essential vitamins. Staple crops such as Plantains and Rice have been introduced and are grown of Tiber but the natural grasses are easier to produce and provide better nutrition than these foods from Old Terra. Rice and Plantains are available in high-end restaurants but are otherwise overshadowed by hardy Tiberian crops. Extinct Species Mucan-mara Vloek A species of horse-sized Lobster known to have subsisted largely on a diet of meat, potentially even on Sky Whales. Despite being land-based animals their remains show that they had the ability to fire a projectile of their stomach acid which allowed them to target prey in the air. There is some debate as to whether they were actual hunters of Sky Whales or merely scavengers. Some experts reckon that the species was actually only able to target the oldest and weakest of the species. Regardless of the truth of the matter the perception of their ability to hunt sky whales at all lead to their extinction at the hands of the early settlers of Tiber and the truth of the reason for their extinction has been lost to The Scream. Bascerddwr A form of Trilobite with fossils found among the low lying and fertile river beds surrounding the Tiber river and other low lying areas that may once have been underwater. Every so often another fossil is washed up on the shores or found in the fields by a serf and added to the extensive collection. These fossils are easily the most plentiful found on Tiber. They would be mostly unremarkable but for the fact that the late fossils seem to be the only ones which came into contact with Empress’ Tears seemingly indicating that the Bascerddwr lived before the evolution of the Tears, or at least before their widespread proliferation. Some propose that perhaps the spread of The Empress’ Tears was what caused the extinction of the Bascerddwr. Lacerta Ancestors of the Lacertiller species the Lacerta fossils show a stage of development seemingly between a purely water-based life to the amphibious form of the current species. Sporting much softer scales than their descendant species they were slightly more flexible in movement but had a much lower lung capacity resulting in only being capable of travel overland for short periods, lasting at most an hour before needing to return to water. The harder scales of the Lacertiller seem to indicate that the species managed to out-compete their ancestors in territorial disputes. While not particularly dangerous the stronger scales likely lead to lounges of Lacertiller being able to defend their territory more effectively than the Lacerta leading to starvation and a slow extinction. Tiberian Pouncers A six-legged feline with a marsupial pouch to carry their young the Tiberian Pouncer was a native species to Tiber. They had an extremely long jump and were too small to target humans. Reaching about a metre in length total they mostly hunted various birds and fish. When humans made it to Tiber the Pouncers were the target of much hunting both by humble serfs searching for an easy meal and from noble businesses keen to make the most use out of the prey species the Pouncers hunted. It was quickly established that the Pouncer would be a boost to the early Tiberian economy. Several benefits included getting the serf population used to mass group projects for future drives, Clearing areas of the jungle for farming, increasing the prevalence of prey species in easily farmable areas and producing a fresh market of rare commodities made from the extinct species remains. This final benefit was the impetus for the mass elimination of the species, leaving Pouncer products as prestigious status symbols for only the most wealthy and old of the Tiberian noble families. Renostegaeaf Found only in one frozen glacier near the settlement of Illuneira the remains of these 4 animals remain somewhat of an enigma in Tiberian science. A three-horned rhinoceros with a thick mane of hair around the neck all 4 examples of the species are from the same glacial valley. The only examples of their species to be found it is not entirely clear when they were frozen in the ice, why they are so well preserved or even if they are native to Tiber. Some theorise that they were brought to the planet by an extravagant noble before The Scream and released into the wild. Others argue it is an ancient species that lived deep in the unexplored jungle and that is why there are so few examples. Others still argue that the species is alive and well but living in the frozen regions of the Helmsley Mountain Range, far away from human activity. Category:Tiber Category:Flora Category:Fauna Category:House Eridanus